The Natural Casing Dog Stand List

To me, the only dogs worth eating are naturalcasing (though I'll give Superdawg a pass)...unfortunately, they're getting harder and harder to find. Let's start a list of places that serve the "real thing".

It's a shame that one of the foods Chicago is known for is hotdogs, and 80% of the food establishments serve terrible hotdogs. I'm sure the skinless hotdogs are cheaper to purchase. If I want a skinless hot dog, I'll just buy a pack at Jewel.

At Poochie's, fRedhots, WASC, and the N. Wabash Gold Coast Dogs (the places that are more on my "route"), is it necessary to ask for a certain kind of dog to get naturalcasing, or is any hot dog you get there going to be that kind?

After reading about it here, I tried Gina's yesterday. The hot dog is the smallest naturalcasing dog Vienna offers, which I think Demon Dogs used to have. A double dog is probably the better option. It still had some snap and that beats the alternative anyday. The fries were great, hand cut, freshly made to order every time. They come with your hot dog, but I had to get an extra order after quickly eating mine. A nice, affordable little joint. Thanks guys!

After reading about it here, I tried Gina's yesterday. The hot dog is the smallest naturalcasing dog Vienna offers, which I think Demon Dogs used to have. A double dog is probably the better option. It still had some snap and that beats the alternative anyday. The fries were great, hand cut, freshly made to order every time. They come with your hot dog, but I had to get an extra order after quickly eating mine. A nice, affordable little joint. Thanks guys!

I went to Gina's yesterday also. I had my usual. 2 dogs with everything. My only complaint was the Pepsi fountain drinks. To my surprise, Gina's recently changed to Coke products.

Ram4 wrote:After reading about it here, I tried Gina's yesterday. The hot dog is the smallest naturalcasing dog Vienna offers, which I think Demon Dogs used to have. A double dog is probably the better option. It still had some snap and that beats the alternative anyday. The fries were great, hand cut, freshly made to order every time. They come with your hot dog, but I had to get an extra order after quickly eating mine. A nice, affordable little joint. Thanks guys!

Glad to hear you enjoyed it. Frankly, I can't comment on the dogs themselves since I always get the Polish. Lots of people don't care for the style, but I love them deep fried.

Just be warned, it can get VERY crowded. I either go early or plan that I might need to eat in my car.

Ram4 wrote:After reading about it here, I tried Gina's yesterday. The hot dog is the smallest naturalcasing dog Vienna offers, which I think Demon Dogs used to have. A double dog is probably the better option. It still had some snap and that beats the alternative anyday. The fries were great, hand cut, freshly made to order every time. They come with your hot dog, but I had to get an extra order after quickly eating mine. A nice, affordable little joint. Thanks guys!

Glad to hear you enjoyed it. Frankly, I can't comment on the dogs themselves since I always get the Polish. Lots of people don't care for the style, but I love them deep fried.

Just be warned, it can get VERY crowded. I either go early or plan that I might need to eat in my car.

Thanks for the warning. When I was there it was practically empty (around 2:00) so I'll try to stick with the non-peak hours and avoid the rush.

I’ve been stopping at the River North branch of Portillo’s two or three times a month, the past several months – eating, mostly, hotdogs – but sometimes a beef sandwich. I’m still grieving over the loss (from my new neighborhood) of Fast Trackhotdogs on Lake St. (near my “old” office location) – damn goodhotdogs there.

The weather was so good this afternoon I walked over to the Gold Coast Dogs branch on N. Wabash Ave. (between Randolph and Lake Streets), to satisfy my urge for a good hot dog.

Gold Coast Dogs – N. Wabash Ave.

Portillo’s – River North

They’re both good dogs, but I thought the flavoring/taste of the Gold Cost Dogs dog was better than the several dogs I’ve had recently at Portillo’s. I sensed, though, that the Portillo’s meat and bun were slightly fresher – probably because of quick turnover at Portillo’s due to the higher (than Gold Coast’s) volume of business.

I wanted to highlight a couple places doing it right in the Western burbs. It drives me absolutely nuts that so many dog stands treat their staple item as an afterthought. They serve skinless waterlogged dogs with BS fries dumped out of a bag. These places usually have menus featuring everything from philly cheesesteaks and chicken gyros to sub sandwiches and mostacolli. Most of the time it's not bad, it's just that, well, it's not very good either. They go by names like Andy's HotDogs or Barry's Beef. The problem is they don’t specialize. Barry’s beef is usually no different than Andy’s since they use the same foodservice company to supply them.

I'm a dogman. It started at C & C Carry Outs in La Grange Park where I remember my dad chatting up the guy at the counter while I was elbow deep in a snapper and fries. After they went out of business it was and has been Little Joe's in Countryside. They have a good snappy dog served with decent crinkle cut fries but I'm always on the lookout for new meat, so to speak. I came across 2 places in the last couple months that are serving an old fashioned naturalcasing dog with fresh cut fries, you know, the right way. Both have smallish menus enabling specialization.

The first place is Mawell's Beef at 63rd and Woodward (not to be confused with Maxwell's on 63rd and Cass which has good fresh cut fries and good shakes but just an ok dog). It's not new but for some reason I had never made it over by there until recently. They have a good snappy dog and excellent fries. A lot of times when you carryout fresh cut fries they steam on the way home and by the time you open them up, it can be a mushy mess. These fries are pretty crispy and maintain their texture on the ride. $3 gets you a dog and a pile of really good fries. Their burgers looked legit too but I have yet to try one. They use what appeared to be hand packed ground beef cooked on the griddle. It's a nice place to have close to work if I get the hankering.

The other is Best Windy City HotDogs in La Grange Park. They also feature a snapper and fresh cut fries. Their fries are much thinner than the Jimmy's or Gene and Jude's fresh cuts that I'm used to but damned tasty. I've had their dogs a couple of times and they are above average. I also found myself there once on a Lenten Friday so I gave their fish sandwich a whirl. They took pieces of cod, put a light batter on it, deep fried it and served it with a homemade tartar sauce. I was impressed with the attention to keeping things as fresh as possible.

In a sea of fast food joints churning out decent but uninspired food I just wanted to point out 2 joints that seem to get it. I'd recommend either if you're in the area.

Nana's HotDogs in Addison was a pleasant surprise when I was on a tight budget last year. They are similar to Gina's, with a small, but tasty 10-1 dog, and similar to Gene and Jude's where they put the fries on top of the hot dog and wrap them together. Great fresh cut fries too.

Nana's HotDogs1465 Lake StAddison IL 60101(630) 889-8600 I believe they now have a Streamwood location on Irving Park as well.

Wolfy's Northbrook location has one of the best hot dog joint burgers you'll find and it's only available at this location due to butcher logistics. The hotdogs are the classic naturalcasing variety. Fries are frozen, no frills.

Let me add Redhot Ranch on Western. The top of my current late night go-to spot. One of the best dogs I've had in a long time and outstanding fries. The scrimps are no joke either. Let's keep this place open!

mrefjl wrote:Let me add Redhot Ranch on Western. The top of my current late night go-to spot....Let's keep this place open!

Uh...Yes. In terms of that north side area, I'm not aware of another hot dog stand that currently offers the minimalist style hot dog and fresh cut fries. The guys in there are extremely nice - at least when i've been - and the dogs have been great. Open til 4 am during weekdays, 5 am Fri-Sat. Yes sir.

I (we) need this place to stay open...driving out to Jimmy's or Gene and Jude's can be fun, but this place is doing a phenomenal job of filling this awful hot dog dead zone that we have up here.

Ram4 wrote:After reading about it here, I tried Gina's yesterday. The hot dog is the smallest naturalcasing dog Vienna offers, which I think Demon Dogs used to have. A double dog is probably the better option. It still had some snap and that beats the alternative anyday. The fries were great, hand cut, freshly made to order every time. They come with your hot dog, but I had to get an extra order after quickly eating mine. A nice, affordable little joint. Thanks guys!

Glad to hear you enjoyed it. Frankly, I can't comment on the dogs themselves since I always get the Polish. Lots of people don't care for the style, but I love them deep fried.

Just be warned, it can get VERY crowded. I either go early or plan that I might need to eat in my car.

Thanks for the warning. When I was there it was practically empty (around 2:00) so I'll try to stick with the non-peak hours and avoid the rush.

$2.25 for a hot dog and really excellent hand-cut fries at Gina's:

If this humble a place can serve such good hand cut fries at this price, there is really no excuse for the crappy frozen garbage that abounds.

...defended from strong temptations to social ambition by a still stronger taste for tripe and onions." Screwtape in The Screwtape Letters by CS Lewis

scottsol wrote:But think of how much money they saving on poppy seeds.

You'll notice I commented on the fries and said not a word about the hot dog. Not because there was anything wrong with it, but because I'm far from knowledgeable about hot dog lore or protocol. Poppy seeds vs. non poppy seeds, naturalcasing vs. unnatural casing. 10:1 vs 8:1 or some other ratio. Whatever. It's basically just ballpark food in my life. I even put ketchup on the things sometimes.

...defended from strong temptations to social ambition by a still stronger taste for tripe and onions." Screwtape in The Screwtape Letters by CS Lewis